Chuck Tanner, former Pirates manager, has died at 82. A little piece of my child hood died with him. He helped bring a lot of joy to me, the city of Pittsburgh and the game of baseball. He always seemed like a great guy and by all accounts was beloved.

Money quote from Pittsburgh Post Gazette obituary: “I played for a lot of managers in my time, and I never knew anyone who treated people like Chuck,” former reliever Grant Jackson said.

And this, from current Pirate Neil Walker: “He was the leader of a big family and, in his own way, he was still continuing to manage by guiding all the young ballplayers who would sit and talk to him. In spring training, he’d come into a room, and he would command attention just by his presence. What I remember his message being most was to believe in yourself. He also said that you had to have a pride in what you did, in how you carried yourself and played the game.